Svetlana lives in a luxurious old house with her 10-year old daughter Galia. It soon becomes apparent that this young and attractive woman has recently arrived from Paris fleeing her French husband, who was trying to take her daughter away from her. One of Svetlana’s new neighbours, Andrey Kovalevsky, a famous antiquarian, has a son the same age as Galia, and they soon discover they have a lot in common.

This, in turn, brings their mothers Svetlana and Irina, closer together. Andrey, wishing to help his unhappy neighbour, offers her work in his antique shop so that Svetlana can prove she has a job and can therefore convince the French courts that her daughter should stay with her.

The relationship between Andrey and Svetlana becomes romantic, and Irina soon notices their intimacy. Is this a passing fancy or is the love affair the real thing? Is it a simple love triangle? Not quite - there are other elements that appear as the story develops, including an international swindler, a bunch of Russian Security Service agents, a purportedly 'lost' masterpiece by the Russian artist, Kazimir Malevich, and on top of all that, Kovalevsky's son has a serious medical condition, that requires him to be kept on a stable emotional level.